


Swaddle All Your Fears Away

by ericsonclan



Series: The Everett Bunch [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27441748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Minnie is still getting used to her new home when she does something that she thinks will send her and Sophie back into the system.
Relationships: James & Minnie (Walking Dead: Done Running), James & Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running), Matthew/Walter (Walking Dead: A House Divided), Minerva & Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: The Everett Bunch [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988578
Kudos: 9





	Swaddle All Your Fears Away

**Author's Note:**

> (by Linnea)

It had been around two weeks now since Minnie and her sister had been adopted. Minnie really thought the day would never come. After all, over the three years that they were stuck in the orphanage they would always get the same answers from potential parents. That they didn’t want to have two kids, especially not twins who seemed so different. Whenever a set of parents connected with Sophie thanks to her warm, bright personality they would feel just as off put by Minnie since they thought she was too cold and not as friendly. Or the opposite would hold true and a couple would find Minnie’s quieter personality more manageable while they felt Sophie would be far too much to handle. So when James had found Minnie that day and dragged over his dads Walter and Matthew, both of the twins thought it was too good to be true. 

Minnie still felt that way over the past two weeks. Sure she loved the warmth of a home and the company of her new family, but she was worried that as soon as she got comfortable all of it would be taken away. Sophie on the other hand seemed to be enjoying her new home, hanging out with their brother James and already getting excited for weekend plans with their parents. 

_ Sophie doesn’t have a problem calling them that… _

Minnie walked forward towards the entrance to the kitchen, a pair of glasses in her hands. She made her way over to the sink, her mind spinning with her own thoughts when she heard her twin call out from the back living room. 

“Minnie!  _ Teen Titans _ is back on!”

Minnie’s eyes lit up with excitement. She was so caught up in the feeling that she failed to notice that her aim was slightly off. As she released the grasp on the cups, they fell on the kitchen floor, causing a loud crash to ring out throughout the house. Minnie felt her panic rise as she stared down at the shattered glass on the floor.  _ This is bad. Maybe if I can find some to clean it... _ Minnie turned sharply on her heel, bumping into a plate that was on the counter. The plate landed with a sound that sent Minnie’s heart rate soaring. It laid on the floor along with all the other shattered kitchenware she had destroyed.

“Minnie!” Sophie slid into the kitchen, a concerned expression spread across her face. “Are you okay?”

James was right behind her, looking just as worried for his sister’s safety. 

“I-I…” Minnie’s voice trailed off while her eyes wandered to the mess. “I didn’t mean to,” 

Sophie’s body relaxed at the news that her sister was okay. “Don’t worry, we can clean that up.”

“But Matthew… Walter,” Minnie’s eyes stung when tears began to slip down her cheeks. “They’re gonna…”

“It’s going to be okay,” James spoke in his usual soft tone and walked forward to place a gentle hand on Minnie’s shoulder but before he could she ran out of the room. 

“Minnie!” Sophie ran forward but suddenly stopped in her tracks when she noticed the huge mess on the floor. She should probably help her brother clean it up, but… Sophie’s eyes returned to the hallway that her twin had run down.

“You go and check on Minnie,” James walked over to the closet, pulling down a broom. “I’ll deal with the mess,”

Sophie flashed an appreciative grin before running down the hall. She turned left, slipping a bit on the floor before reaching her and Minnie’s room. Slowly she opened the door, peeking her head in to see how Minnie was doing. 

Her eyes widened when she saw Minnie wrapped in her dark blue blanket. She had rolled herself so tight that she looked closer to a burrito than her usual self. Sophie immediately closed the door and sat beside her. This was more serious than she had thought. The blanket burrito was only ever used when one of them had become too overwhelmed with their emotions, whether it be happy or sad. Since they really only had each other they would try and put on a brave face before caving and wrapping themselves in the blanket in hopes that the pressure or the texture of the blanket would calm them down. 

Sophie sat down beside her twin, remaining quiet for a minute. Minnie’s sniffles were muffled behind the blanket but they were still there. “You wanna talk about it?” Sophie placed her head on one of her own knees.

“They’re gonna send me back,” Minnie mumbled behind her blanket barrier. 

Sophie’s eyes widened at her twin’s statement. “You mean our dads? They wouldn’t do that.”

“I broke stuff though, and we...” Minnie took a shaky breath. “Adults have thrown us aside for less than that.”

Sophie’s head shot up; she hadn’t thought about it like that. Sure, their new parents had been really cool so far, made sure that they were comfortable here and they had even gotten them ice cream a few times. But maybe that would all come crashing down like the dishes on the kitchen floor. Sophie looked towards her sister.  _ Could they really send Minnie back? _

“I won’t let them!” Sophie jumped up to her feet. “Just let them try - I’m gonna stop them!”

Just then there was a knock on the door causing both twins to become silent.

“Knock, knock,” Matthew popped his head in when he opened up the bedroom door. “Hey, you two!” He gave a warm smile to his daughters and made his way into the room with Walter. “ I saw James in the kitchen cleaning up some broken glass on the floor and I wanted to make sure neither of you got any cuts.”

“I did it!” Minnie screamed before rolling over in her blanket, letting out a series of sobs. 

Walter and Matthew looked at each other with surprise. “How did that happen?” Walter looked towards the blanket burrito where his ten year old daughter hid. 

“It was just a mistake and... and... Please don’t send me away! I won’t do it again, I swear!”

“What?” Matthew looked shocked by Minnie’s reaction. 

Sophie suddenly ran forward, spreading her arms in front of her twin. “She didn’t mean to!” Sophie’s own eyes were threatening to shed tears.

“Sophie,” Walter walked forward but it only seemed to put Sophie more on edge.

“No! I won’t let you take my sister away!” Sophie shook her head back and forth. “You promised, a home for both of us, that was the deal!” 

Walter knelt down in front of Sophie with a gentle smile. “Matthew, can you bring James here?” he looked back at his husband who seemed to understand what his plan was and disappeared down the hall. “Sophie, when Matthew and I made you that promise it was a forever promise, which means we’ll never break it. All we want to do is talk with Minnie, alright?” 

His smile seemed to calm Sophie down a bit, but she still didn’t budge from her spot.

“We’re back,” Matthew reentered the room with James who looked over with confusion at the giant blanket blob that was his sister. 

“Now Sophie, we just want to talk with your sister so could you go with your brother for a minute?” 

Sophie studied Walter’s face when he made the request then looked over to James who gave a small nod of reassurance. Reluctantly Sophie moved out of the way, turning to face her sister one last time before exiting the room. “I’m just gonna be right outside the door, Minnie,” Sophie gave a quick hug to the blanket burrito then turned to leave with James who kept reassuring her that everything would be fine. 

When the door closed, Matthew and Walter sat down next to Minnie who still had her face turned away.

“Minnie? Can you turn around so we can see your face?” Walter’s voice was soft. 

Minnie shook her head. “No, you’re gonna be mad with me and then you'll send me back and then I’ll be all alone!” Minnie devolved into a fit of tears again.

“We won’t do that, we just wanted to know what happened,” Matthew shifted his weight before settling down again. “You said it was a mistake so there’s no reason to be afraid.”

“That’s right, we’d never just kick you out because of something like this,” Walter added. It seemed to backfire though.

“But… but what if I do something and you just wanna get rid of me anyway?” 

“Minnie,” Matthew’s voice was gentle, “We’d never kick you out, you’re our daughter,”

Minnie shuffled, rolling over to face the pair, a look of utter surprise on her face. “Really?”

“That’s right. We love you and Sophie and that’s never going to change. We’re family. That will always be true,” Walter gave Minnie a reassuring smile. 

Minnie poked her head out more from her blanket cocoon, a nervous expression on her face. She couldn’t believe the words she was hearing. They weren’t mad at her. Not even a little bit. In fact they were worried about her. Minnie unburied her head fully, wiping away at her tears. 

“So, do you want to come out of your blanket hideaway?” Matthew offered her a hand. Cautiously Minnie took it, standing up to her feet.

“James, Sophie, you can come in now,” Walter called out to the hallway. Immediately the door slammed open, revealing a still very concerned Sophie.

“It’s okay, Soph,” Minnie wiped at her face. “They said they won’t send me back,” 

Sophie beamed with a thankful smile. Without warning she ran forward, wrapping her arms around Walter and Matthew. The couple chuckled at their daughter’s affection before Sophie went over and wrapped her sister with a comforting hug. “I knew our new parents were cool,” Sophie whispered into her twin’s ear. 

Minnie nodded in agreement. They were pretty cool.

\-----

Later that week the twins were busy talking in their room when they heard a knock on their door.

“Knock, knock, can I come in?” Matthew’s voice asked from behind the closed door. 

“Yeah,” the twins both said, giving their permission.

Matthew opened the door, revealing him and Walter. 

“So, we got you something,” Matthew started walking forward with his arms hidden behind his back. Walter stood beside him, his arms also tucked behind his back.

“A present!” Sophie jumped up to her feet and ran forward. Minnie was close behind her.

“Well, when you two told us all about your blanket burritos and how it helps you feel better, we talked about it and decided to get you these!” Walter exclaimed. Both he and his husband revealed what was behind their backs. In their arms were two blankets that looked just like tortillas.

“Blankets?” Minnie looked up at them with a smile playing on her lips.

“That’s right!” Matthew handed over his blanket to Sophie while Walter gave the other to Minnie. “This way you can really be burritos!”

Sophie bounced happily at the gift. 

“We just want you two to know that whenever you feel overwhelmed, if it's sad or happy, then you can always roll up in your blanket. Or find one of us and we will always be here for you,” Walter gave a warm smile to his daughters who both seemed like they were becoming overwhelmed by the very statement he had made. 

Minnie stared at them with wide eyes. They weren’t lying. They really did love her and Sophie. Both of them, not one over the other. Silently she walked forward and wrapped her arms around Walter. “Thanks,”

Walter’s arms went round her, pulling her into a gentle hug. 

Sophie ran over and tackled Matthew with a hug of her own. “You’re the best! Right, Minnie?”

Minnie gave her sister a small, bright smile. “Yeah,” She looked at Walter and Matthew. “We have the best dads.”

Matthew and Walter looked shocked by that. It was the first time that Minnie had ever called them that. With happy smiles on their faces, they hugged the twins once again. 

Minnie felt her heart warm at the embrace. She and Sophie had finally found it: home.


End file.
